Two parents - David K. Detjen, 41, and Rebecca S. Detjen, 40, of Fairmount City, Pa. - each were charged with one count of neglect of a dependent, a class D felony, according to court documents.

Six minor children and one adult daughter were in the care of the Indiana Department of Child Services and will be picked up by a relative, said Indiana State Police Sgt. John Bowling. Authorities suspect five of the couple's seven children were riding in the back of the truck.

The couple was arrested Wednesday night as they were driving through New Castle, Ind., on their way to California. They're being held at the Henry County Jail and bond has been set at $5,000.

The Detjens told troopers that the family was moving to California for a job opportunity, Bowling said Thursday.

"They were down on their luck for sure," Bowling said. "They didn't have a car. This was a last-ditch effort to follow up on a possible job in San Bernardino (in California). But it still was an unwise decision (to allow family members to travel in the cargo area). The dad has told investigators he knew it was a bad idea."

Initially, Bowling said state troopers who arrested the Detjens on Wednesday and impounded the truck did not believe the five family members in the back - one adult daughter and four minor children - had any means of staying in touch with the parents. They now believe they were wrong on that presumption.

"Troopers did discover two cell phones back there," Bowling said. "We think they were able to communicate."

The young people in back of the truck ranged in age from 9 to 18, he said. A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old rode in the cab with the parents.

Also in the back of the truck along with boxes of family belongings: 18 cats in pet carriers. They were in the care of Henry County Animal Control on Thursday.

Temperatures were below freezing here Wednesday night, but cold wasn't the only danger to the kids and cats. Boston Children's Hospital advises against riding in the cargo area of trucks, including enclosed pickups, because of the potential for carbon-monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes.

Authorities at the state police Pendleton, Ind., post received a call earlier Wednesday from a relative of the travelers, Bowling said. The anonymous tipster said the rented truck had left Pennsylvania that day and possibly had children riding in the back.

Troopers watched for the truck and spotted it just before 10 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 70 at a Flying "J" truck stop near Spiceland, Ind., he said. When troopers opened the back door of the truck, they found two of the children had been sitting on tall stacks of boxes.

The travelers had heavy clothing and sleeping bags with them, but the back of the truck was cold, Bowling said.